Are you having trouble getting up off the couch to work, clean your house, work out, or perform virtually any daily task?
Your energy level is likely low. You don’t feel interested in making decisions or determined to complete your daily goals. You lack one thing: motivation.
Motivation drives us to complete our tasks throughout the day—working without motivation results in incomplete or insufficient goals.
Motivation’s driving force is dopamine. When we anticipate completing a vital goal or event, our brain releases dopamine, making us feel excited to achieve said goals. But if our brains fail to create that dopamine for us, we feel apathetic and lazy at best.
There are ways to help increase your motivation. Simple things like creating a routine, setting smaller goals, or writing down your tasks in a planner can help. But what if you’ve already tried all of those things?
The answer is simple: nootropics. Nootropics are supplements that help to improve your cognitive function, namely your motivation.
There are several different kinds of nootropics on the market, so we’ve taken care of finding the best nootropics for motivation that are available for you.
Best Nootropics for Motivation
Nootropics are also commonly known as “cognitive enhancers,” but not all of them work the same way.
To provide you with the best and most accurate list of nootropics to boost your motivation, we researched the following:
- The effect each nootropic has on dopamine receptors
- Any potential negative or positive side effects of each nootropic
- The overall reviews from people who have used these nootropics
- Each brand recommended ensuring its quality and validity
- The studies that provided information to back up each nootropic
The nootropics covered in this article are known for their ability to boost your motivation significantly.
Best Overall: N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine
The best nootropic for motivation is N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine or NALT. NALT is a modified version of the amino acid Tyrosine.
You can buy just L-Tyrosine, but NALT helps the body more easily absorb the compound, making it the better choice. NALT takes regular L-Tyrosine and adds an acetic acid to it, making it approximately 20 times more water-soluble than Tyrosine by itself.
Your body naturally creates Tyrosine when it synthesizes other necessary proteins in your body. Tyrosine is the pioneer amino acid for dopamine.
If you have no tyrosine reserves in your body, you will have difficulty producing dopamine, which will cause you to struggle to develop motivation. Since Tyrosine is essential to dopamine production, taking the nootropic NALT will also boost your energy and mood levels.
While you can safely take NALT as a daily supplement, it’s best to start off taking it every other day at most since creating too much dopamine can disrupt your sleep.
In addition, due to acetic acid bonding with the Tyrosine in NALT, the supplement may taste bitter, or like vinegar. While this is normal and will not leave a lingering taste in your mouth, the taste can be less than desirable for some people.
NALT is not as potent as L-Tyrosine because it’s bonded to acetic acid, so if you’re making the switch from L-Tyrosine to NALT, you may need a higher dosage to feel its effects.
- Boosts your dopamine levels
- Supports your mood and energy levels
- Promotes focus and attention
- More soluble than regular Tyrosine supplements, helping you process it more efficiently and create Tyrosine reserves in your body
- Not recommended for daily usage, resulting in days with less motivation
- It has a sour, vinegar-like taste that can be off-putting to som
Best for All-Day Motivation: Theacrine
Theacrine is a chemical that is very similar to caffeine but even better for most people. Theacrine provides a longer-lasting motivation boost than caffeine.
You can think of theacrine as a safer alternative to caffeine because it doesn’t have any cardiovascular side effects. Theacrine also produces a milder yet more enduring response than caffeine, helping alleviate that “crash” feeling.
Theacrine doesn’t build up a tolerance as caffeine does, so you won’t need to supplement with more overtime or wean yourself off if you decide to stop taking it.
Theacrine works by stimulating the central nervous system to create a feeling of higher energy, decrease fatigue, and improve cognitive function, which will increase your motivation and your ability to concentrate.
Theacrine also modifies your dopamine receptors while blocking your adenosine receptors, responsible for the “crash” feeling that you typically get from caffeine.
Theacrine has shown to boost your mood and motivation, it can do the opposite if you take too much of it. It’s essential to monitor your energy levels while taking Theacrine to ensure that you aren’t having an adverse reaction.
- Boosts your motivation as well as your energy, concentration, focus, and mood
- No tolerance build-up
- Effects last for around 8 hours, providing an all-day motivation boost with no crash
- It can negatively affect your sleep if taken too much
- Some could still experience jitters, especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine
Great for Motivation and Memory: Uridine Monophosphate
Uridine monophosphate is a nucleotide essential to our body’s production of RNA and energy. It is one of the “chain links” of RN. Uridine monophosphate is one of the building blocks for UTP.
UTP (uridine triphosphate) is similar to ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is the molecule responsible for providing our bodies with energy. UTP is a high-energy molecule that helps produce sugars that our bodies use as energy to help catalyze different biological processes.
Uridine monophosphate works by crossing the blood-brain barrier to modify dopamine receptors. By modifying them, the receptors have enhanced neurotransmission and increase dopamine levels. They can then directly positively affect motivation, energy, mood, cognition, and sleep quality.
Uridine monophosphate is produced synthetically in capsule form and naturally in human breast milk.
Uridine monophosphate is a popular choice among nootropics users. It’s part of something referred to as the “Mr. Happy Stack,” which combines fish oil, uridine, B vitamins, choline, and occasionally other vitamins to improve cognitive function.
Uridine monophosphate is entirely safe to take as a daily supplement. Still, the company does not recommend it for people who have been diagnosed with hypertension, pregnant or nursing women, or people who are taking any other medications.
- Naturally produced chemical that’s essential to our body’s functions
- Directly increases motivation and enhances your mood and cognitive function
- Has restorative and anti neurodegenerative properties
- Can improve sleep quality
- It can negatively affect your sleep if taken too much
- Some could still experience jitters, especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine
Best for Short-Term Motivation: Methylliberine
Methylliberine, more commonly known as Dynamine, works similarly to Theacrine and caffeine without the adverse effects associated with caffeine.
Methylliberine works by binding to adenosine receptors, blocking them from functioning correctly. Adenosine makes us feel fatigued, so by blocking the receptors, methylliberine enhances our energy levels and increases our motivation.
Methylliberine doesn’t last as long as caffeine or theacrine, making it much more convenient for short-term and before-bed use, like a test or an evening workout.
Because of its short life span, though, you may need to take several supplements a day if you are looking for a more long-term effect.
- Promotes fast-acting, short-lasting energy that increases motivation and enhances your mood
- Perfect for short-term use
- Heightens focus and cognitive ability
- Great for athletes to use before workouts or before games and matches
- Similar feeling to caffeine, but without the adverse cardiovascular side effects
- The energy boost is short-lived, so you would need to take the supplement multiple times a day
Best Natural Option: Cordyceps
Cordyceps is one of the oldest mental wellness supplements globally, dating back to at least 1757. Cordyceps is more commonly known as a parasitic fungus that infects caterpillars in the high altitudes of Tibet.
The type of Cordyceps used in these capsules (Cordyceps militaris) can be easily cultivated without insects, making it much more affordable and more available.
Cordyceps work by enhancing tyrosine-hydroxylase, the enzyme responsible for converting Tyrosine to dopamine. By assisting the dopamine pathway, cordyceps supplements increase motivation, mood, and overall cognitive function.
Cordyceps is especially beneficial when coupled with other mushroom nootropics, like lion’s mane.
Cordyceps also has a slew of other health benefits, including having anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer properties.
Cordyceps is a safe supplement with little to no adverse side effects. The worst side effect of taking cordyceps that we could find is possible stomach and digestive tract discomfort.
Summary
Struggling with your motivation to perform even the simplest of daily activities can be very frustrating and can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Thanks to nootropics, though, you no longer have to feel out of control of your motivation.
There is not a unanimous choice for which nootropic to take to enhance your motivation, which is why you must research these options to decide which one will work the best for you.
If you take any medications or have any pre-existing conditions, consult with your doctor or physician before using any nootropic.